#willleitch

The story of a fiercely resilient young man grappling with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door.  🏈 How Lucky has been sitting on my shelf a few months after it was one of my #BOTMpick last year. I picked it up recently because I heard it was a light quick read. I have to say I really enjoyed that the book was from Daniel's perspective even though he had lost his ability to speak and used a wheelchair. I appreciated how Daniel and those around him had developed a way of communicating with each other without words. I know sometimes when I'm close to someone it feels like we have whole conversations without saying anything outloud. I loved Travis and Marjani. 🏈 I feel like I learned a lot about Spinal Musclar Atrophy and based on my limited knowledge I felt like Leitch was making an effort to be informative and respectful of people who suffer from SMA daily. I also appreciated how Daniel valued his independence and was basically the amateur detective looking for Ai-Chin. I found myself excited to n read the book and at the climax I was fully invested. 4.5/5 #BookReview #HowLucky #WillLeitch #BOTMBooks #MRDRC22 #disabledprotagonist #WheelchairUser #DisabledHero #spinalmuscularatrophy #CollegeTown #GoBulldogs #Nerdymamabooks #DiverseBookstagrammersRead #Booknerd #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CbX9ExDrDjH/?utm_medium=tumblr

How Lucky by Will Leitch and narrated by Graham Halstead is the story of Daniel. “Daniel is a young man who has SMA - a debilitating disease that makes him unable to talk and confines him to a chair during the day. Daniel lives in Athens, GA and lives for football game Saturdays to cheer his Georgia Bulldogs (where Kirby us still trying to catch Coach Saban 🐘🏈) One morning Daniel sees an abduction from his porch. He cannot get the police to believe him so he takes to social media. Soon he is in conversation with the kidnapper and puts himself in danger.” You have to like Daniel and his awareness of his limitations but his unwillingness to fully accept them. Inside he is a regular guy with emotions and feelings like the rest of us. It’s just his body that doesn’t work right. You have to appreciate Daniel’s heart. And we could all take some customer service lessons from Daniel. One thing I thought that did not help the story was the numerous explanations of SMA. It reminded me of all the technical science parts of The Martian. It detracts more than adds. If you liked it in The Martian and PHM you would probably be okay here. Be sure to read the acknowledgments, especially the author’s personal connection to SMA. Great audiobook performance and good story from Leitch. #howlucky #willleitch #grahamhalstead #audiobooks #richlandlibrary #bookofthemonth #mystery #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #bookhoarder #bookworm #sodacityreads #bookish #bookreview #hardcover #bookcover #bookhaul #literarycrimefiction #goodreads #homelibrary #fiction #domesticthriller #crimefiction #thriller #sma #spinalmuscularatrophy https://www.instagram.com/p/CTH12B5LnCP/?utm_medium=tumblr

How Lucky by Will Leitch is my read for #chikfilatuesday Seeing a lot of love for this book. Have you read this one? #howlucky #willleitch #bookofthemonth #cfacolumbiana #columbianacentre #chickfila #readatlunch #contemporaryliterature #bookstagram #bookshelves #booknerd #bookhoarder #bookworm #sodacityreads #bookish #bookreview #hardcover #novelsuspect #bookcover #bookhaul #goodreads #homelibrary #fiction #domesticthriller (at Chick-fil-A Columbiana Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJVGRhruBG/?utm_medium=tumblr

Will Leitch, a founder of the Deadspin sports blog, tells the tale of going to a baseball game with his father and in the process takes the reader on a few tangential reflections on sports fandom in general, his similarities and difference to his pop, and the general greatness of the game of baseball. Like Deadspin, the tone here unapologetically switches from irreverent to vulgar, arcane to insightful, macro to micro analyses and ruminations. But in a good way! The good thing about the writing on sites like Deadspin is that it seems more like the way people really think and feel, and less like a detached, authoritarian sermon. The author absolutely adores his dad -- pop is presented as an old-fashioned, hard-drinking, loyal, friendly, hardworking, wise, down-to-earth, "everybody's buddy" type of guy. Leitch recognizes that his own generation (GenX/slackers) will never match the previous generation's outlook or achievements, for better AND for worse. The Cardinals are another source of abject adoration for Leitch and his father, and their jersey-wearing, score-book carrying obsession with the team is kind of cute and kind of insufferable. Look, every "baseball town" out there feels they are the best fans, with the most storied history, the most history, of any team. Listening to Leitch fawn over his Cards is like listening to some adoring parent gush about their precious kid: we get it. All kids (and teams, and fanbases) are special. But the glowing praise of his team (and his father) doesn't make Leitch's book unlikable; it makes it more human and sincere. He is not tamping his excitement for his subjects. If you are already a fan of Deadspin, reading this is a no-brainer. Leitch's style IS Deadspin's style, after all. I would also recommend the book to those considering themselves serious baseball fans, especially those of GenX age or younger. It is an enjoyable and fast read, I was able to finish it in about two days. Rating: 4/5, B+.